Gillibrand Calls For Legislation To Improve Social Security Benefits Following Announcement Of 2027 COLA

Gillibrand Calls For Legislation To Improve Social Security Benefits Following Announcement Of 2027 COLA

Oct 14, 2026

80% of Social Security Recipients Say Similar COLA Would Not Adequately Compensate For Rising Cost Of Living

Washington, D.C. - Today, U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) called for passage of her legislation to strengthen Social Security benefits following the release of the 2027 cost-of-living adjustment (COLA). The Social Security Administration (SSA) announced this morning that Social Security benefits will increase by 3.6% in 2027.

"Our seniors have spent a lifetime of hard work paying into Social Security, but their checks simply aren't keeping up with rising costs," said Senator Gillibrand. "This year's cost-of-living adjustment is not enough to make up for skyrocketing costs for groceries, gas, heating, and healthcare in President Trump's America. As the top Democrat on the Senate Aging Committee, I'm fighting to pass the Boosting Benefits and COLAs for Seniors Act to protect and expand Social Security benefits long-term by changing the formula used to calculate COLAs to better account for the expenses that seniors face."

The 3.6% COLA comes as rising costs are making it harder for American seniors to make ends meet. Already, New Yorkers have paid over $5,500 more due to President Trump's reckless policies. In September alone, inflation rose to 3.7%.

The 2027 COLA will amount to an increase of about $75 per month. 80 percent of current Social Security recipients say a similar increase would not adequately compensate for the rising cost of living.

Senator Gillibrand's Boosting Benefits and COLAs for Seniors Act-which was introduced last year-would direct SSA to adjust benefits based on the Consumer Price Index for Americans aged 62 or older (CPI-E), rather than the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners (CPI-W). The CPI-E more accurately accounts for the actual costs incurred by older Americans, such as medical expenses and prescription drug costs-making it a more reflective index to use when calculating benefits.

Additionally, this week, Senator Gillibrand sent a letter to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics urging the administration to improve data collection for the CPI-E. This letter follows the Trump administration's attempt to cut funding to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) in Fiscal Year 2027, as well as reports that staffing cuts at BLS have already eroded the reliability of economic data.

The text of the Boosting Benefits and COLAs for Seniors Act can be found here. Senator Gillibrand's letter to the Bureau of Labor Statistics can be found here.

In addition to the Boosting Benefits and COLAs for Seniors Act, Senator Gillibrand has proposed multiple pieces of legislation to help ensure that seniors can continue to get the full benefits they are owed and to reverse disastrous Trump administration cuts to SSA:

• The Social Security Expansion Act would extend the solvency of Social Security for 75 years by requiring the wealthiest American households to pay their fair share of payroll taxes. Under the current formula, a CEO making $20 million a year pays the same amount into Social Security as individuals making $184,500 a year. This legislation would lift the cap on Social Security, requiring income above $250,000 to be subject to the Social Security payroll tax and thus increasing the amount paid into the Social Security trust fund to increase its longevity.
• The Keep Billionaires Out of Social Security Act would reverse Trump administration cuts to SSA, prohibit unnecessary Social Security field office closures, boost staffing levels to help reduce wait times and make it easier for seniors and people with disabilities to get help over the phone, protect Americans' data, and provide the resources SSA needs to help approve earned benefits quickly.

###